Pages Tagged “Movies”
Reviews
- Beowulf (in 3D) Impressive monsters and realistic animation. Better than 300, a bit reminiscent of the recent Lord of the Rings films.
- Bride of Frankenstein It’s interesting to see just how much of the Frankenstein mythos not only isn’t in the book, but isn’t in the first movie.
- Captain America: The First Avenger ★★★★☆ Better than I remembered, Captain America stands out from the MCU both because it’s a war film and because the formula hadn’t solidified yet.
- Doctor Strange ★★★★☆ Surrealism is the best part. Creative use of Escher gravity, portals, astral projection, time manipulation, incredibly detailed alterations to reality, and effects that make it all look incredible.
- Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness ★★★☆☆ Not as bad as I expected, but the alternate realities weren’t as fun as the reality-bending in the first movie. And there was way too much reliance on the Idiot Ball.
- Dungeons & Dragons (2000 Movie) ★☆☆☆☆ So bad that the group of friends I was with started heckling the movie, and the rest of the audience joined in.
- Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ★★★★☆ To my shock and surprise, this D&D movie was actually good!
- Edward Scissorhands ★★★★☆ The film still holds up: the fairy tale music, the contrast between ‘normal’ suburbia and Edward’s home, and the tension between appearances and heart.
- From Hell (Movie) ★★★☆☆ A fairly decent Jack the Ripper film (if there is such a thing), but tossed out the main themes of the graphic novel.
- Ghostbusters ★★★★★ The jokes are still funny, the story still works, and even the effects hold up pretty well.
- The House and the Spirits (Movie) ★☆☆☆☆ This should have been a great movie. Epic story, all-star cast…but it was intensely boring.
- House of Frankenstein A rather disjointed tale of revenge focusing on Dracula in one segment, the Wolfman in the other, and not much on Frankenstein’s monster.
- The Illusionist For the first hour I couldn’t get past lead characters being colossally stupid, but the ending totally made up for it.
- Justice League: The New Frontier (Movie) ★★★★☆ Cooke’s drawing style and the 1950s retro look to the artwork both translate well to the screen. A bit disjointed at first, but settles into a solid story about hope and trust.
- Les Misérables (Adaptations) Reviews of several Les Misérables movies, parodies, comic books, the 25th Anniversary production of the musical, a children’s book, a radio play and more.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End ★★★★☆ A lot of fun, if hard to keep track of all the double-crosses. Doesn’t require intimate knowledge of the previous films, just knowing who the major players are.
- Ready Player One (Movie)
★★★★☆
Steven Spielberg
Better than I expected, having soured on the book by the time it came out. Not a straight adaptation so much as a rewrite of the same premise that’s more character-driven and yes, more cinematic. With Spielberg. - Rotten Tomatoes ★☆☆☆☆ Let’s see…worst movie I’ve ever seen in a theater. Top three candidates
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (Movie) ★★★★☆ It’s a fun mash-up of movie, comic book and video game sensibilities, though it does suffer from cramming six books into a single movie.
- Short Circuit ★★★★☆ The comedy about a robot coming to life and the humans trying to catch him or help him escape holds up better than I expected.
- Solo: A Star Wars Story ★★★☆☆ Solo isn’t high art, and it’s got some rough edges, but it’s a fun ride.
- Star Trek (2009 Movie) ★★★★☆
- Star Wars: Attack of the Clones ★★★☆☆ I think it’s the weakest of the prequels and of the six that George Lucas was actually involved in.
- Star Wars: The Last Jedi ★★★★☆ The performances are way better than most of the prequel trilogy, and the story is the first theatrical Star Wars to break new ground in ages.
- Star Wars: The Phantom Menace ★★★★☆ Better than I remember. It’s well constructed, and there are incredible subtleties and thematic elements hidden among the flashy (and cheesy) A-plot.
- Stardust (Movie) ★★★★★ Light-hearted fantasy adventure built around a love story, Stardust takes itself just a touch more seriously than The Princess Bride. Enjoyable on its own, and stays true to the heart of the book.
- Superman Returns ★★★☆☆ Enjoyed it, but no interest in seeing it again. It already felt like deja vu since there were so many references to the first two movies with Christopher Reeve.
- Thor: The Mighty Avenger ★★★☆☆ Amazing designs, intriguing concepts, but a plodding plot that tries to be a character piece but is required to be an action film.
- Transformers (Movie) ★★★☆☆ Better constructed than I expected, with impressive effects, plausible story logic, but a lot of the humor is forced and it feels like they missed the big picture in trying to get the details right.
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen ★☆☆☆☆ In some ways it wasn’t as awful as I’d heard, and in some ways it was worse. I’m glad I waited for the second-run showing and only spent $1.75.
- Unofficial Trilogy of Cheese The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Van Helsing, and Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow should make a trilogy of sorts.
Les Misérables
- Thoughts on Les Misérables: The 2012 Movie Musical - A Fan’s Review As a fan of the stage musical from way back, I'd say it's good, but has its flaws. Time will tell whether it's great. Here's what did and didn't work for me
- Wolverine vs. Jor-El Les Misérables takes on an entirely new light when viewed as their epic struggle.
- Revisiting the Movie Musical After Re-Reading the Novel I liked the film of Les Misérables better on second viewing, and also was able to see just how much they brought in from the novel.
- Review: Les Misérables Movie 1978 The story of Jean Valjean vs. Javert is very well done, but the other characters and their stories are pushed out to the point where they're incidental.
- Review: Les Misérables Movie 1998 This version does a decent job of humanizing Valjean and Javert, and giving Fantine and Cosette more presence, but changes lead to an unsatisfying ending.
- Jacked On Jean Valjean, Wolverine, and Hugh Jackman's training for X-Men.
- No Canon One reason the singing style in the movie didn't bug me: I've listened to so many different cast recordings that I'm *used to* different performances.
- Review: Les Misérables Movie 1935 I quite liked Richard Boleslawski's 1935 movie of Les Misérables starring Charles Laughton as Javert and Frederic March as Jean Valjean.
- Review: Les Misérables Movie 1952 Clearly inspired by the 1935 version, this movie has better cinematography, but the characters suffer from being forced into 1950s stereotypes.
- Review: Les Misérables TV Miniseries 2000 Stand-outs: unusual character choices and the Thénardier family as a real menace. But I wanted to like it more than I did.
Blog Posts
- Avatar and Manta’s Gift
This is kind of funny. When I watched the movie Avatar way back in 2009, I was struck by the similarity of the premise to Timothy Zahn’s 2002 novel Manta’s Gift: The main character, a human who’s suffered a severely disabling injury, is offered the chance to place his consciousness into an alien body and […]
- Striking the Crowd
Today I found myself thinking of Terminator 3, specifically the plotline in which all kinds of random computer crashes are spreading across the internet. For obvious reasons. In today’s real world incident, it’s a bug in an auto-pushed update for widely-used security software by CrowdStrike, ironically used to protect mission-critical systems. In the two-decade-old movie […]
- Whale Call
We watched Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home last night. It holds up better than I thought it would. At the end, I found myself trying to imagine the conversation between the whales and the probe. Probably something like this: — Hey! We’re still here! Or, we’re back, anyway! — Oh, good! What happened to […]
- They’ve Got the Moves!
(Spotted a few weeks ago at Target. I’m going to have to check whether they’ve fixed the sign the next time I’m there.)
- Location-Themed Advertising
A few blocks from the airport. I have no interest in the movie, but I do appreciate when advertisers make an effort to make use of a location instead of just being generic.
- Cloudy with a Chance of…
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (movie): New tech leads to an economic boom, but politics and greed conspire to ignore warnings from a scientist about the long-term dangers of this man-made climate change until disaster strikes. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2: A tech company without ethics is run by a nerd who […]
- One of these things is not like the others
I think one of those DVDs might be misplaced… Update: Two weeks later I was shopping at the same store, and the woman in front of me in the checkout line was buying (among other things) a Pretty Woman DVD. I had to wonder if it was the same box.
- Rogue One (Star Wars) and Imperial IT (SPOILERS!)
Spoilery thoughts on Star Wars’ IT practices and where the Rogue One characters actually find the Death Star plans.
- Why Kilgrave’s Power is Scarier than a Jedi Mind Trick
It’s not just that Kilgrave’s a sociopath and Jedi are compassionate. The Sith aren’t known for mercy, but Force users’ mind control has limits.
- Symbolic Costuming: Stage vs. Screen
We took the kiddo to see his first live theater play today, A Year With Frog and Toad. It’s a children’s musical based on the Frog and Toad books, with each song adapted from one of the stories. The costumes in this production tended toward symbolic representation rather than realism. Frog and Toad themselves just […]
- Pixar knows how to advertise with coffee.
Normally I don’t like glossy coffee sleeves because they don’t insulate very well, but I like the thought put into this one for Inside Out.
- Well, THAT narrows it down.
Went to see a screening of the Wizard of Oz. Not that you could tell from the ticket, but they made sure you knew who was presenting it!
- They Didn’t Know What They Were Getting Into: the Woods
A surprising number of people who reviewed the movie on IMDB didn’t know it was going to be a musical or a darker, complex take on the stories.
- Jack vs the Idiot Ball
While Jack the Giant Slayer isn’t a great movie, it’s refreshing that the characters are never stupider than they should be, just for the sake of the plot.
- A Wicked Weekend
Somehow I ended up listening to Wicked, watching Oz: The Great and Powerful, and catching up on Once Upon a Time…on the weekend of Emerald City Comicon.
- No More Origin Stories
Itâs bothered me for a long time that movie studios seem to think the only story worth telling about a superhero is the origin. You get a trilogy if youâre lucky, then back to another origin take. It would be like only ever running the pilot of every TV show even though theyâre designed to […]
- Star Wars Director – A Close Second
I was kind of hoping Disney would pick Joss Whedon to direct the next Star Wars movie just to watch fans’ heads explode. But going with the guy who rebooted Star Trek? That’s what I call a close second. J.J. Abrams Will Reportedly Direct the Next Star Wars Movie Originally posted on Google+
- How The Hobbit Will (and Won’t) be Like the Star Wars Prequels
A visionary director returns to his high-profile trilogy years later with a prequel in which some of the same characters establish key elements of the original backstory. Hmm….
- The Saga and the Franchise
I suppose it’s silly, but after thinking about it for a bit, what really bothers me about the Lucasfilm/Disney deal is that by continuing the movie series with Episodes 7-9, they are undermining the distinction between the Star Wars saga and the Star Wars franchise. Originally posted on Facebook
- It’s Super!
Super 8-D: It’s funny how, when you get used to emoticons, they just kind of insist on being read.
- HP8
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 was an impressive ending to the series…but what impresses me most is that it actually finished.
- Surprise
I’m shocked — SHOCKED that Kevin Spacey is playing a “psycho” in a new movie. I mean, who would have expected that?
- TRON
Just watched TRON: Legacy. Realized the plot of the first movie can be summarized as “Information wants to be free.”
- Language!
User Friendly on tech support, Wondermark and Girl Genius on books, close-up comet photos, star trails, cyber security, iPhone vs. Android vs. Blackberry, and more.
- Marmaduke Killers
Movie marquee spotted a couple of weeks ago: Quick, someone call the ASPCA!
- National Park Service vs. Robots From Space
If you went out to the movies in the US during 2009, there’s a good chance you saw a turn-off-your-phone PSA in which a movie about “robots from space” tries to negotiate blowing up Mount Rushmore. In a case of life imitating art, the National Park Service is currently battling Transformers 3 — a movie […]
- Kick a Dragon
This could actually make an interesting movie. Okay, it would be about as long as Bambi Meets Godzilla, but still…
- Great Quotes With “Dear”
Here are some of my contributions to todayââ¬â¢s Twitter meme, #greatquoteswithdear. You can probably figure out how the game worksââ¬Â¦
- Myth-Quotations
Myth Adventures, Phil Foglio’s comic-book adaptation of Robert Asprin’s fantasy/comedy novel, Another Fine Myth, is being serialized as a free webcomic [Edit: no longer available.], in the same format as Girl Genius. I remember spending a lot of effort tracking down the mid-1980s books on eBay, before they finally reissued the collection. The title of […]
- New Year’s Eve & Avatar
10 years ago I had just started working at an Internet provider and was very glad they didn’t want me in the server room at midnight for Y2K. I just ordered tickets to Avatar in IMAX 3D. It actually *was* cheaper to see Xanadu on stage, even including parking! Made it into Avatar. Got surprisingly […]
- To Buy or Not To Buy?
If we’re only going to watch a movie once (or maybe even twice), we’re better off renting it than buying. Less clutter, less cost.
- Brilliant Deduction, Mr. Holmes.
While I was waiting in line for Sherlock Holmes, someone walked up and asked, is *this* the line for the *%#! movie? No…
- Movies I’ve Watched Recently
Thoughts on some movies I’ve seen in the last ~2 months.
- On Army of Darkness
I finally watched Evil Dead 2, and got to thinking about just what makes the trilogy different from other 1980s horror series.
- One Letter Off Movies
Another Twitter meme: come up with movie titles just one letter off from the original, tagged #oneletteroffmovies. I posted these on my other account on Friday. New Dork Stories Annie Get Your Gum Fight Clue There should be an Oz sequel called All About Ev. Reaching a bit, but Key D’argo (Farscape) Ok, I keep […]
- Sci-Fi Remakes
There was a meme running through Twitter today to come up with movie titles for #scifiremakes. Here are my contributions. Shaka Sulu Schindler’s Arcology Obi-Wan Hur Droids on the Side Shuttlecraft 54, Where Are You?
- Seeing Transformers 2
I finally saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen today. In some ways it wasn’t as awful as I’d heard, and in some ways it was worse. I’m glad I waited for the second-run showing and only spent $1.75. Read on…
- Second-Best. Ripoff. Title. Ever!
From the makers of Alien vs. Hunter and Snakes on a Train, it’s Transmorphers: Fall of Man.
- Competing Clanks
Standing in the movie theater lobby, listening to competing CLANKing from Star Trek and Terminator: Salvation.
- Cyborgs: Terminator Salvation and Surrogates
Finally got out to see Terminator: Salvation at the second-run theater. It was a passable action flick, though a bit overblown and tedious at times. I thought it was better than T3: Rise of the Machines, at least. T3 was too caught up in repeating the first two movies (a Terminator is sent back in […]
- 6SS
Six-String Samurai is a seriously weird movie.
- Casablanca…IN SPACE!
Babylon 5 has been described as Casablanca in space, so it was weird to catch an episode of Deep Space Nine that really *was* Casablanca in space.
- Star Trek: Experiencing Seismic Activity
Sunday’s earthquake hit while we were watching the new Star Trek movie. It actually fit with the movie surprisingly well. Also: what I liked and didn’t.
- Oh they did, did they?
We’ve wrapped up Movie Marquee Week, but here’s one last photo in the same style: a stack of DVDs at the local Borders.
- Star Wars Disaster Movie
Is that the one in which millions of voices suddenly cry out in terror, and are suddenly silenced?
- Shopaholic Mall Cop
Somehow, I don’t think that being a mall cop is a good choice for a self-confessed shopaholic. Also, “Coraline: Just Not That Into You” has a faintly amusing ring to it. Speaking of Coraline, I’m pleasantly surprised to see that not only is it still in a lot of nearby theaters after ~6 weeks, it’s […]
- Doubt Che
I saw this pairing and couldn’t help but think of all those college students with Che Guevara T-shirts…
- Button Push Movies
There are actually a lot of good combos in this one. Button Push Push for Dogs New in Town, Uninvited
- Notorius Marley
Movie marquee week continues! Though “Unborn Valentine” sounds kinda creepy…
- From What?
I just realized I have enough photos of weird combinations on movie marquees to make this… Movie Marquee Week!
- Snakes on a Song
Best thing about Snakes on a Plane was the Cobra Starship song at the end. Thank you, iPod for reminding me!
- Buggy Recipe
Found this ad for Coraline in this morning’s newspaper: It’s kind of hard to read, between the pixel size and the printing, but the funniest bit is the blue sidebar on “Finding the Tastiest Beetles:” Beetles are delicious creatures that live close to home. If you use beetles from your backyard or basement, check them […]
- Rewatching Star Wars: A New Hope
We watched Star Wars last night, the DVD version. It’s been about four years since I last saw it. When Revenge of the Sith came out, we came home and immediately re-watched A New Hope, then caught the next two films over the following week or so. It’s been long enough that memories have blurred, […]
- Shopping Observations
Can we get a moratorium on covers of “Last Christmas?” Actually, can we get one on the original too? Funny how easy it is to spot a cover by Darryl K. Sweet. It makes me want to mash up Xanth, WOT, and every other fantasy series he’s covered I can’t see giving someone Countdown to […]
- Best Ripoff Title Ever
Several months ago I was browsing the local Blockbuster video store for a movie to rent, and I stumbled across one that made me laugh out loud. It’s the title on the right, and you’ll see why if you compare it to the rather more well-known title on the left. I mean, seriously, look how […]
- NBC 3D
I caught a re-release of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas in 3-D. Movie: Good. 3D: Good. Digital Projection: Not so good, with visible pixels.
- Knowing too much
Finally watched A Scanner Darkly this weekend. Better than I expected. One sequence pulled me out of the film, though, and only because I live in Orange County. In the middle of the film, several characters start a road trip to San Diego. They start on the 5 freeway in Anaheim and drive south until […]
- Being a Nexus – Comic-Con Bursting at the Seams
Comic-Con is spilling out into the city of San Diego with a massive media blitz, but what about us is so appealing to the Hollywood marketing crowd?
- Hidden Costs of Moving
This past week has mostly been taken up by unpacking, at least to the point that we can use things. We got most of the bedroom set up the first night — we needed somewhere to sleep — but the rest has been slow going. We finally got the TV and DVD player hooked up […]
- Hannah
That’s one determined music star. Or else one weird music/horror crossover film. (But then, is there any other kind?)
- P.S., I Loveâ¦WHAT?!
A movie theater tried to cram a few too many titles into this space. Whoever that is in the last line must really like basketball. Alternatively, feel free to insert your favorite Catherine the Great joke here. And “Atonement Water”—is that anything like holy water? Or perhaps like Aquamantra‘s “I am Lucky”/”I am Loved”/etc. water?
- Golden Compass, Tin Man
Saw The Golden Compass. Enjoyed it a lot, though it felt very rushed, and I think it would have benefitted from having the actual ending instead of cutting it off early. Here’s hoping they do well enough in the long run to greenlight the next film. Now I can re-read the books. Also watched Tin […]
- Wild Things of Irvine
The Village, a disturbingly-named apartment complex across from the Irvine Spectrum shopping center, has been advertising in the nearby area for a couple of years using the slogan, “A new meaning for…” with various images and phrases. For a while, the following photo and caption seemed to be everywhere: A New Meaning For Heated Pool […]
- Not the Flash
Speedster? Check. “World’s fastest man?” Check. Skin-tight costume? Check. Wings on head? Check. Lightning motif? Check. Round insignia on chest? Check. Yellow boots? Check. I first saw this ad for movietickets.com with 3:10 To Yuma a few months ago. He’s trying to impress his date by running and buying the tickets for their movie while […]
- Phantoms and Rock(y Horror) Operas
Watched Phantom of the Paradise this weekend. It’s a bizarre 1974 mash-up between The Phantom of the Opera and Faust set in a satire of the 1970s music industry. The movie casts Paul Williams (who wrote all the music for the film) as a reclusive recording mogul, Swan, who steals a struggling songwriter’s pop cantata […]
- Flash Movie Runs Through Another Director
Well, MTV is reporting (possible spoilers for JLA movie) that David Dobkin has taken over as director of the still-vaporware Flash feature film. Dobkin replaces Shawn Levy, who himself replaced David Goyer. Keeping up? Goyer has long experience with super-heroes, having written or co-written Batman Begins, two of the Blade films and the TV show, […]
- Who ya gonna call?
The logo on the left was spotted on fire extinguishers at two different coffee shops (different chains, even). The one on the right is, of course, the logo from the 1984 comedy/horror film, Ghostbusters. Maybe I’m imagining things, but does anyone see a similarity here?
- Saw Transformers
I finally got out to see Transformers today. Yes, I grew up with the cartoons, the toys and the comics. Yes, I even collected every comic book from the original Marvel series through the Generation 2 series (including the prologue in G.I. Joe) through the first round from DreamWave. But somewhere along the line I just lost […]
- Stardust is Good
Went out to see Stardust with a group of friends, and we all enjoyed it. People have been comparing it to The Princess Bride, and it’s an apt comparison: both are light-hearted fantasy adventures with a love story at the heart. Stardust takes itself a bit more seriously, though there’s plenty of humor. The concept: […]
- Fantasy Film Follow-Up
Saw Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I thought it was better than the fourth film, and up there with Prisoner of Azkaban, though Katie liked Goblet of Fire better. The main thing I would really have liked to see more of: Hogwarts in rebellion. “It unscrews the other way.” We agreed that […]
- 300 Thoughts
I haven’t seen 300 yet. But not because I’m not interested in the story. I hadn’t heard of the Battle of Thermopylae until a few years ago, when I picked up a book called Atlantis Gate, by Greg Donegan. It was a sci-fi/fantasy thriller involving a war across time for the fate of the world. […]
- Ah, Hollywood Accounting!
The Los Angeles Times is reporting that Dreamworks and Aardman are going their separate ways after the disappointing performance of Flushed Away and Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit. Wait… Wallace and Gromit? Wasn’t it #1 on opening weekend? Didn’t it stay in the top 5 for at least a month? Aardman’s dry British […]
- Fantastic Films?
2007 looks to be a good year for fantasy adaptations, at least of books I’ve read. What I’ve seen of Stardust (Neil Gaiman & Charles Vess) looks great. I’m psyched up for His Dark Materials: The Golden Compass (Phillip Pullman)—and I’ve got to say I’m glad they’re doing each book as its own movie, instead […]
- Stranger than Borat?
Though of all the things I’ve heard Borat called, “queen” isn’t one of them.
- Dear George: Why I’m not buying the Star Wars Limited Edition DVDs
I already own the DVD edition of Star Wars, and what I want from the theatrical edition is the original substance *with* the remastering you did in 1997.
- Pirates ânâ Prada
Wow, they’ll take anyone in that crew! Somehow, I’m not convinced! The following movies were not harmed in the making of this blog post: Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Beerfest, The Devil Wears Prada, and Barnyard.
- Mary Shelley’s Bride of Frankenstein
I’ve been working my way through the classic Universal Frankenstein movies, some of which I’m sure I’ve seen before, and some of which I’m sure I haven’t. Of course, they get filtered through having read the book at least three times and having watched Young Frankenstein many times. Last weekend I watched Bride of Frankenstein. […]
- Fry Day at Comic-Con
I spent more time walking around outside today, so I did get to fry a bit. (Not too much, fortunately.) Oddly enough, one of the first hall costumes I saw on Friday was Thor. Caught the Stardust preview. It looks very promising. Neil Gaiman and Charles Vess were there, of course, plus screenwriter Jane Goldman […]
- 2 to 5
Notice anything odd about this Flashback Features movie marquee? (Hint: Look at the dates.) I think I can see a solution to their problem…
- Hollywood and Space
Some interesting comments by Warren Ellis in today’s Bad Signal on film budgets, and Superman Returns in particular. $250 million puts you in spacelaunch-budget territory. For $250 million WB could’ve given Bryan Singer his own communications satellite and spent the change on a George Clooney movie. This is the absurdity of modern Hollywood; that taking […]
- Six of one, half a dozen of another
Last night we went to see a screening of Twelve Monkeys, still one of my favorites. There was an odd moment in the middle, though. In the scene in which Bruce Willis and Madeline Stowe are attacked in the abandoned theater, just after Willis’ character kills the attacker, is this exchange: “You killed him!” “All […]
- Blockbuster vs. Local Video Store
I love Netflix. I love their selection. I love being able to just make a list of movies I’ve been meaning to watch, and see them show up one by one. But the queue model doesn’t work so well when you want to watch a specific movie now. That’s where you need a retail store, […]
- Going to the MoviesâNot!
Apparently the movie industry is trying to come up with an ad campaign to get people back into theaters. The LA Times doesn’t seem to take the idea terribly seriously, as they’ve suggested the slogan, “Movies: Just like DVDs, but Larger.” Meanwhile, theaters and studios are blaming each other for the decline in attendance: Theater […]
- Edward Scissorhands Sharp as Ever
We went to see a screening of Edward Scissorhands tonight. A couple of local art cinemas (both part of the Edwards/Regal chain) have been doing a weekly “Flashback Features” series since summer (or possibly earlier). The first one we went to was The Princess Bride, which was absolutely packed with people who knew the movie […]
- There Goes the Hogwarts Express
Is this what he saved those mean girls from?
- Serenity and MirrorMask: Worth the Wait!
It’s refreshing when a movie you’ve anticipated for years actually lives up to your expectations. It’s unprecedented when it happens twice in one weekend. MirrorMask and Serenity were both amazing. The MirrorMask theater listing looks like a tour schedule, with the film opening in a few more cities each week. Unfortunately, at least some theaters […]
- Dating the Dead
For a movie theater with only four screens, they seem to be going for themes lately. How else would they end up pairing up these two? Corpse Bride, Just Like Heaven. (I passed the sign the night before, and it was pairing up The 40 Year Old Virgin with Just Like Heaven—another combination that’s just […]
- That Explains It!
Okay, read the last two titles together: The 40 Year Old Virgin, Unwanted Woman. It seems like the second line might explain the first… (On a side note, this is the second post with pictures from my new camera phone. The image quality is pathetic compared to the good camera—640×480 vs. 5 megapixels—but it’s a […]
- V for Visceral
Rob Zombie on movie ratings, toning villains down too far, and the difference between showing violence toward unknown actors or celebrities.
- News from Comic Con 2005
Jedi costumes, Fellowship! The Musical, Jim Henson 50th Anniversary, Groo vs. Conan and a ton of movie previews: Serenity, Mirrormask, HP4, Fountain & more.
- Separated at Birth: Willy Wonka and…
I’ve been trying to figure out who Johnny Depp’s Willy Wonka reminds me of, and it finally hit me. OK, maybe that’s not the best choice of words…
- The Perfect Couple
A perfect pairing on a movie marquee:
- Sequelitis is profitable
An interesting read on the Most Lucrative Movie Franchises, not so much for what it gets right, but for what it gets wrong. Tonight’s premiere of Batman Begins marks the sixth in the series. And that’s only counting the “modern” era of Batman flicks, dating from 1989’s Batman from director Tim Burton. Sixth? Are they […]
- Googolplex: a virtual reality movie theater
Here’s an interesting idea: Googolplex Theaters creates a virtual reality movie theater so that, effectively, everyone gets their own screen. Of course, once you simulate a screen in VR, why stop there? You’ve already got 3-D in the display, and between the backlog of 3D movies and a decade or so of computer animation, there […]
- Black Mamba
Another license plate sighting: BTRX KID It took me a few seconds, but I finally placed it.
- The Flash on Film
Well, it’s official. As reported all over the place, David Goyer is signed on to write, direct and produce a Flash movie. This isn’t just a rumor like the Jack Black Green Lantern, this was announced in Variety. Goyer’s got experience with superhero films. He wrote all three Blade movies, and the upcoming Batman Begins. […]
- MirrorMask Preview (SDCC 2004)
Neil Gaiman and Dave McKean talked about MirrorMask and showed a clip from the fantasy film in the vein of Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.
- Why Bad Movies Matter
Let’s face it, there are a lot of good books that get turned into bad movies. On one hand, you might wonder: does it really matter? After all, the original is still there. The mere existence of the movie doesn’t alter the fact that the book is good, any more than the remake of Psycho […]
- Viewing the Impossible
I knew someone once who had no interest in science-fiction, and dismissed it with “That could never happen.” That seems to be the mainstream attitude toward SF — try to pit Farscape against Survivor and you know exactly what will happen — and yet they love to see films about the impossible. (Well, as long […]
- From what?
Movie marquee: Harry Potter Saved Mean Girls
- Avert your eyes
I’ll be the first to admit that I go near-ballistic where cigarettes are concerned, from sprinting by smokers on a sidewalk to springing up to turn our window fan to exhaust mode. But, rude though I may be, I’m not as bad as the AMA. An R rating for smoking? Even when the smoker is […]
- Those Badass Stepford Wives
These marquees are all from the same movie theater: Whatcha gonna do when they come for you? Evidently Helen grew up in Stepford. And it really does take a village. So what does happen the day after Garfield?
- Something Myth-ing from Troy
Things that went through my head when watching the 2004 movie Troy (based loosely on Homber’s Iliad).
- Van Helsing captions
More coming when I find a better screencap library. Suggestions are welcome.
- Van Helsing: Complete and Total Mrifk!
The Hugh Jackman/Kate Beckinsale movie Van Helsing was terrible, but I really enjoyed it. To explain why, I’ll need to introduce you to The Eye of Argon.
- Far-Flung Finances
In CNN’s report on the discovery that Mars once had liquid water – and thus may have once been hospitable to life – it mentions that the Spirit and Opportunity missions cost about $820 million. The IMDB estimates the budget for Spider-Man 2 at $200 million. In other words, each mission cost two big-budget summer […]
- Does anyone else remember “Sneakers”…
…and this exchange: Whistler: I want peace on earth and good will toward man. Bernard Abbott: We are the United States Government. We don’t do that sort of thing.